U.S. Pat. Nos. 876,779, 1,352,517, 3,005,635, and 3,901,510 are illustrative of prior art game devices which are manually manipulable to enable a ball to arrive at a desired destination after avoiding obstacles. This invention is concerned with a game device that enables the ball to arrive at its desired destination in a new and unobvious manner that tests the manipulative skills of the operator.
In its broadest aspect, the game device comprises a cylinder formed of a first outer circumferential wall spanning a pair of side walls. A second circumferential wall spanning the side walls is spaced inwardly of the first circumferential wall. A barrier, spanning the side walls, extends radially between the first and second circumferential walls. An entry passage means provides communication between the space between the first and second circumferential walls adjacent to a first side of the barrier and the exterior of the game device. At least one avoidance hole, and preferably a plurality of avoidance holes, extends through the second circumferential wall. The avoidance hole nearest the second side of the barrier is spaced from the second side of the barrier. An exit passage means provides communication between the avoidance hole or holes and the exterior of the game device.
In the operation of the game, a ball is used that has a smaller diameter than the diameters of the avoidance hole or holes and has a smaller diameter than the entry and exit passage means. The ball is inserted through the entry passage means and falls upon the second circumferential wall. The operator then so manipulates the game device as to try to move the ball past the avoidance hole or holes to the second side of the barrier. If the ball should fall into an avoidance hole before reaching the second side of the barrier, the game is lost. If the ball reaches the second side of the barrier without falling into an avoidance hole, the game is won. If the game is lost, the ball passes through the exit passage means to the exterior of the game device. If the game is won, the operator so manipulates the device as to cause the ball to fall through an avoidance hole and then through the exit passage means to the exterior of the game device.